The International Association of Chiefs of Police, a Virginia-based association for police leaders, has a guide on the best practices law enforcement should follow for successful trauma-informed interviewing. Lucio and her children struggled through poverty. She has maintained her innocence, and Cornell Law School professor Sandra Babcock has called the prosecution "by far the weakest capital case I've ever seen". Mariah was crying but did not appear to have any serious injuries, Lucio said. hide caption. Later on, Lucio had seven children with Robert Alvarez. Lucio is set to be executed on April 27 for the 2007 death of her 2-year-old daughter Mariah. Research has shown that survivors of sexual abuse and violence, like Ms. Lucio, are even more vulnerable to. "You're not making this firm division between a victim and suspect because a lot of times you don't know at the beginning who's a victim and who's a suspect.". Instead, those fighting for Lucio to be granted clemency claim she is a survivor of child physical and sexual abuse who was coerced into confessing to Mariahs murder. Despite the defense's arguments, Lucio was found guilty of capital murder and later sentenced to death in 2008. Ms. Lucios execution for April 27, for a crime that never occurred. According to Dr. Young, Melissa Lucio should not be executed because he believes she is innocent. CPS records used in the trial do not evidence that suggests Lucio was abusive. The brief states that Lucio's subdued behavior and acquiescence during interrogation were the result of prior trauma as a survivor of abuse. [17] This decision was subsequently overturned in an en banc hearing of the same court[18] and Lucio remained on death row. Unprecedented pictures of Melissa Lucio's examination have surfaced because of the absence of life column prisoner inside the narrative "Death by Mama" airs on ABC. Guarnera said these are excellent tips to follow, but pointed out that detectives often do the opposite when they believe someone is a suspect and not a victim. As her April 27 execution date nears, Lucio's lawyers are hopeful that new evidence, along with growing public support including from jurors who now doubt the conviction and from more than half the Texas House of Representatives will persuade the state's Board of Pardons and Paroles and Gov. "Mariah's death was a tragedy not a murder. I am now convinced that the jury got it wrong and I know that there is too much doubt to execute Lucio. Abbott can grant a one-time, 30-day reprieve. . "https:" : "http:") + '//www.tiktok.com/embed.js'; His father, who survived, led the effort to save Whitaker, saying he would be victimized again if his son was executed. In 2008, She was convicted of killing her 2-year-old daughter, Mariah Alvarez. Alexander Molony Girlfriend: Who Is Alexander Molony Girlfriend? Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? "If you think about what's happening in an interrogation, that's a very parallel process.". Email: [emailprotected] The little girl's mother, Melissa Lucio, claimed her daughter, Mariah Alvarez, had abrasions on her back and was covered in bruises because of a fall down a steep set of 14 steps two days earlier outside the family's new apartment. Calls are growing for Texas to stop the approaching execution of Melissa Lucio, who says she was wrongfully convicted of killing her toddler Mariah in 2007. Cloudflare Ray ID: 7a134b9f398d2f98 Guadalupe Lucio and Melissa Lucio had their first five children together when they were just 16 years old. In this undated photograph, Texas death row inmate Melissa Lucio is holding one of her sons, John. Still a minor and unable to leave the abusive marriage, Ms. Lucio was trapped and developed a substance use problem. [16] In 2019, a three-judge panel of the Federal Appeals Court overturned the sentence and ordered a retrial because of the trial court's interference in Lucio's right to present a defense. Two more children (twins) were born while she was imprisoned. I believe that she should be in prison. Family photo via AP Mariah was Lucio's twelfth child. Three older children went to live in Houston with their father, and Lucio regained custody of the others in late 2006.[5]. All she had was us," she said. Your IP: Melissa Lucio was first sentenced to death in 2008 for the death of her 2-year-old daughter, Mariah Alvarez. In a previous investigation into Lucio for alleged child neglect, Child Protective Services found that his youngest kids were frequently left in the care of their older, teenage siblings. Lucio is seeking clemency as her April 27 execution date approaches. Prosecutors say the now-53-year-old abused her daughter, Mariah, while Lucio maintains that her death was a result of injuries sustained from falling down a flight of stairs outside their Texas home. Officers contaminated the confession by repeatedly showing Ms. Lucio photographs of relevant evidence and suggesting certain words and facts, which she ultimately parroted back to the officers. ", "Texas mother is set for execution as evidence suggests she did not kill her child", "I voted to sentence Melissa Lucio to death. Lucio claimed Mariah had fallen down a flight of stairs two days prior and suffered the wounds. However, Ms. Lucios husband perpetuated the cycle of abuse. And experts who have reviewed Ms. Lucios case, including her interrogation records, have concluded that Ms. Lucio was relentlessly pressured and extensively manipulated during the interrogation. Web: www.ghgossip.com, About Us Contact Advertise Privacy Policy, Get To Know Neil Wagner: Biography, Age, Career, Net Worth, Height, Relationship & More. The Cameron County District Attorney's Office, which prosecuted Lucio, declined to comment. Child Protective Services had previously investigated Lucio for allegations of child neglect, and they reported that Lucio's youngest children were often left in the care of their teenaged siblings. RELATED: Oklahoma Gov. 27, 2022 for the 2007 death of Mariah. After several hours of interrogation, Ms. Lucio said, I guess I did it, and made other incriminating statements, to get the officers to end the interrogation. All Rights Reserved. ET:This article has been updated to reflect the latest news in this case. Melissa Lucio and Robert Alvarez became parents to Mariah in September 2004. Greg Abbott and the Board of Pardons and Paroles in March of this year, arguing an unreliable confession and "unscientific, false evidence that misled the jury into believing that Mariah Alvarez must have been killed by physical abuse, when the evidence is actually consistent with a conclusion that Mariah died from medical complications after a fall" based on the declarations of various experts. The Rangers believed Lucio had killed Mariah on Feb. 17, 2007, saying that her unwillingness to make eye contact and her slumped shoulders were signs of guilt, according to a clemency petition filed on March 22. During her trial, those statements were presented to the jury as her confession. But Ms. Lucios life is still in jeopardy. Alexander Molony Siblings: Who Are Alexander Molony Siblings? She was scheduled for execution on April 27, 2022. Death Row Stories, a Netflix documentary set to premiere this Friday (May 25), has revealed Lucio’s twisted thoughts and the heinous crime she committed. But worn down from a lifetime of abuse and the grief of. They also claim that Cameron County District Attorney Armando Villalobos had previously been accused of inadequately investigating over 100 claims of child abuse. "Interrogation is also a very cognitively demanding task so you need to be listening, you need to be parsing the truth and falsity of the information, you need to be thinking about your future options and consequences.". said, adding that an emergency room doctor said it was the "absolute worst" case of child abuse. Potkin said Lucio's presumed guilt "was a complete rush to judgment" spurred on by misunderstanding, a "highly manipulative and coercive" interrogation and faulty forensics. [25], A 2020 documentary by Sabrina Van Tassel titled The State of Texas vs. Melissa follows Lucio's case. Unprecedented pictures of Melissa Lucio 's examination have surfaced because of the absence of life column prisoner inside the narrative " Death by Mama" airs on ABC. Hours after Mariah's death, Lucio was interrogated by police for over five hours, according to her lawyers. In late 2006 Lucio got back the other kids after three older kids went to live with their father in Houston. Many family members and supporters say the girl's . [13], Lucios defense argued that Mariah's injuries were from falling down the stairs, and that Lucio's psychological functioning contributed to her conflicting reports given to authorities. Lucios lawyers say that Mariahs death was due to falling down the stairs but prosecutors say that Mariahs injuries were from someone hitting or hurting her. FilmRise By Maurice Chammah The detective handed Melissa Lucio a plastic doll and asked her to spank it. The model was developed with the help of psychologists and takes a nonconfrontational approach to interrogations. isYTTikTok = 0; April 7, 2022, 9:13 AM, CDT Fourteen years ago, Melissa Lucio was sentenced to death for killing the youngest of her 12 children, Mariah, in Harlingen. She said she believes she falsely confessed in part because of a learned fear of violence. My moms sisters said that she would get a lesser sentence if we said we abused my sister, Selina adds. In 2019, a three-judge panel of the 5th U.S. These conditions led her to be manipulated into admitting she caused her daughter's death despite Lucio asserting her innocence over 100 times throughout the interrogation, according to her lawyers. Abbott and the Board of Pardons and Paroles. ", "Her execution date looming, a mother maintains innocence in 2-year-old daughter's death", "Execution date set for Harlingen mom for murdering daughter", "Melissa Lucio execution - latest: Kim Kardashian appeals to Texas governor as juror says death sentence wrong", "Death row mum-of-14 hopes new videos could clear her of toddler's fatal fall", "Texas Set to Execute Melissa Lucio Despite Credible Claims of Innocence", "Former Cameron County District Attorney Armando Villalobos Sentenced To Federal Prison In Connection With South Texas Bribery Scheme", "Harlingen woman faces April execution for daughter's 2007 murder", "Melissa Elizabeth Lucio v. The State of Texas (concurring)", "Federal Appeals Court Overturns Mother's Conviction in Texas Child Murder Case That May Have Been an Accidental Death", "Divided Federal Appeals Court Reinstates Death Sentence for Texas Mother of Child Who May Have Died in Accidental Fall", "Court Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law: Manuel Velez", "A Texas mother could be executed in April. "[10], During the trial, Lucio's recorded statements from her interrogation were described as a confession by Cameron County District Attorney Armando Villalobos, who was seeking re-election at the time. 03/23/2022 by Anne Tyler Melissa Lucio, a middle-aged mother, was sentenced to death for allegedly killing her two-year-old son. Lucio's legal team submitted an application for clemency to Texas Gov. This undated handout photo provided by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice shows Melissa Lucio. They used coercive methods known to produce false confessions. "Do it real hard," he said. At 16, she became a child bride to escape. At the time of her death, Mariah was healing from an injury to her arm, which the medical examiner also said was a sign of abuse. They used coercive methods known to produce false confessions. Police contaminate the persons statement meaning they feed the innocent person crime facts or a specific narrative of guilt. Call Gov. Minyvonne Burkeis a senior breaking news reporter for NBC News. So you respond to threats, you respond to violence, you respond to demands, you respond to the escalating voice by saying, 'Yes, yes, I'll do it,'" said Mindy Mechanic, a forensic psychologist and professor emeritus at California State University, Fullerton. Were they convicted? Mariah Alvarez, daughter of Melissa Lucio, was a young little girl who lost her life at a very young age. The Texas Rangers did not respond to repeated phone calls and emails for comment about the case. Mariahs autopsy showed signs of a blood coagulation disorder, which causes profuse bruising throughout the body. Court documents show that prosecutors argued at Lucio's trial that she had repeatedly abused Mariah and killed her by hitting her in the head. "Please allow us to reconcile with Mariah's death and remember her without fresh pain, anguish and grief. [8] She admitted to having spanked Mariah, but denied ever having abused her, which she repeated more than 100 times. The action you just performed triggered the security solution. IE 11 is not supported. Selina claims that none of her other siblings were abusive towards Mariah. "Lucio still advances no evidence that is reliable and supportive of her acquittal," the office wrote in court documents last month. Mariahs autopsy showed signs of a blood coagulation disorder, which causes profuse bruising throughout the body. 16th Street, 2nd Avenue, Batsona Community 18 Only 17 women have been executed in the U.S. since the Supreme Court lifted its ban on the death penalty in 1976, most recently in January 2021. The Office of Justice Programs, an agency of the U.S. Department of Justice that focuses on crime prevention through research and development, said in a published report on interviewing domestic violence victims that detectives should "give credibility to the victim without expecting a high level of cooperation.". However, a pediatric orthopedic surgeon who reviewed the evidence concluded that the medical examiners testimony was misleading and there is nothing about Mariahs fracture that indicates that it was the result of an intentional act or abuse This was an extremely common type of injury among toddlers that can result from a fall from standing height. And experts who have reviewed Ms. Lucios case, including her interrogation records, have concluded that Ms. Lucio was relentlessly pressured and extensively manipulated during the interrogation. On Feb. 8, attorneys for Ms. Lucio, to withdraw or modify her looming execution date, and on March 22, her legal team, to the governor and Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles. Studies have shown that even trained forensic dentists cant agree whether or not an injury is a bite mark. Abbott must undertake a meaningful review of Ms. Lucios innocence claim, the coercive tactics used in her interrogation, and the tragic circumstances of Mariahs accidental death, before an irreversible injustice occurs. Unfortunately for her, this is also around the time that she claims to have been sexually abused by her mothers boyfriend for two years starting at age seven. To produce false confessions was scheduled for execution on April 27 for death. 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